1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article of clothing for carrying medical supplies on a person. In particular, the present invention relates to a vest having removable containers which hold medical supplies and which allow the user to carry the supplies hands free.
2. Description of the Related Art
The related art has shown various types of vests for carrying medical and/or tactical supplies. Illustrative are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,087,864 to LaBove et al; 4,106,121 to Belson; 4,637,075 to Ingrisano et al; 5,072,456 to Elin and 5,370,113 to Parsons.
In particular, Belson describes a tactical load bearing vest having several supply pouches attached to the front of the vest. The specific pouches are a hand gun cartridge pouch, a shotgun shell pouch, a rifle cartridge clip pouch, a first aid pouch, a carbine clip pouch, etc. Each pouch has a rectangular base of heavy fabric and a fabric pocket having one or more ends extended to fold over to cover the open end to prevent loss of the supplies. Some pouches have webbing stitched onto the base to form loops that hold ammunition rounds. Each of the pouches is mounted on the vest by both Velcro.RTM. and snap fasteners. The vest also includes a radio carrying pouch, a canteen pouch and a side holster hanger strip.
Ingrisano et al describes an emergency medical services (EMS) vest for carrying EMS equipment and supplies. The vest has a plurality of outside pockets of varying sizes to hold different equipment and supplies. Loop holders are also provided to hold airways. The pockets are not removable.
In addition, Parsons describes a self contained breathing apparatus where the storage case is converted into a vest to be worn by the user. The vest allows the user to carry the air storage cylinder on his back while using the apparatus.
LaBove et al describes a vest for patients undergoing intravenous hyperalimentation. The vest allows the patient to remain ambulatory while receiving the treatment. The vest has a medication pocket which receives and holds the bag of medication. The pocket consists of a flap mounted along one edge of the vest and having a set of fasteners along the opposite edge. The fasteners engage a matching set of fasteners on the vest. The flap forms a U-shaped sleeve extending outwardly from the front panel. The bag preferably has a hang loop at one end and at least one outlet at the other end. An attaching tab having a snap ring is mounted on the vest above the medication pocket to retain the pouch in the proper position in the vest. A support strap extends across the bottom of the pocket to hold the pouch within the sleeve formed by the flap. The support strap has an opening to allow an outlet of the pouch to pass therethrough for connection with a tube which connects the pouch with the pump. The vest also has a pump pocket which holds the pump which transfers medication from the pouch to the patient and a power supply pocket. The medication pocket which holds the pouch is not removable. Furthermore, the pocket is not constructed to hold any other medical supplies.
Also of interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,513,866 to Thomas which describes an emergency medical pack for storing and transporting emergency medical supplies and U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,084 to Thomas which shows a similar pack used for storing and transporting equipment for travel. Further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,169,550 to Williams and 4,796,790 to Hamilton show devices for carrying medical supplies.
Only of minimal interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,409,354 to Grunwell; 2,760,699 to Rivers-Macpherson and 5,111,981 to Allen which show different devices for carrying objects on a person.
There remains the need for a vest which can be worn on the upper body of a user and which has removable containers for carrying medical supplies where the containers can be pivotably moved from the front to the back of the vest without removing the container from the vest and where one of the containers is an adaptor to hold an intravenous (IV) bag to allow the user to have easy access to the IV and hands-free use of the IV once the IV has been provided to the patient.